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Name: __________________________________________
Date: _________
End of Unit Writing Assessment:
Characterization in The Crucible
Review of Unit:
1. Characterization in The Crucible
● We have finished reading and performing Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, a story of deception, accusations,
betrayal, and mass hysteria historically based on the Salem Witch Trials.
● We focused on characterization including personality traits, physical traits, values, norms, beliefs, behaviors,
actions, relationships, internal thoughts, dialogue, experiences, and decisions.
● We practiced gathering and analyzing evidence that best showcases a character trait.
● We discussed and considered how the characters’ flaws, distortions, miscommunications and personalities
contribute to the conflicts within the plot.
● We determined how characters evolve over the course of the text and identified what causes those changes.
Prompt: Using Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, analyze a character’s journey through the
Salem Witch Trials. You will include a thesis statement that makes an overall
observation about your character’s motivation, choices, and actions. You will use
multiple points/examples and textual evidence to fully prove and explain your
statement about the character.
Estimated length: 2-4 pages MLA format- 12 pt font Times New Roman Double Spaced
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Submission Guidelines and Grades:
We will work through this packet and the steps of the writing process together, however, you must
adhere to the following due dates and guidelines:
Date
Class agenda
Homework
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Grades:
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Purpose check
Outline check
Thesis statement check
Packet submitted on time
Essay 1: submitted on time and in proper format
Essay 2: content
Essay 3: language use
Essay4: understanding of characterization and Semantics
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Step 1 Brainstorm:
Choose your character _______________________________________
Answer the following questions:
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What are the dominant character traits of this character?
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How does the main character's personality influence his or hers actions? (For example, "What does the
main character's anger drive him or her to do?")
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Why does the main character feel the way he or she does? Did a tragedy in their earlier life bring them to
the point where they are today?
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What character trait will best help this main character overcome their trials and succeed in life?
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What vices does this character embrace as they reach out to try to cope with life? What other more noble
resources do they embrace, spiritual and otherwise, to handle what life deals them?
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Where have they suffered from their negative “self talk” or cognitive distortions?
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Where has miscommunication or word choice gotten them into trouble?
Write your Purpose: state the purpose of your essay. What are you trying to explain or
prove about your character? What have you observed about him/her?
STOP!!! **once you have done this, see me for approval
(this step will be graded)
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Step 2: Outline your Body Paragraphs:
(Skip your Intro and Conclusion-we will do these later)
You are to create an outline for your body paragraphs to help layout your ideas, organize
your points, and gather your evidence. You may create your outline as you wish, but it
must include the following:
● Your major points or examples to help achieve the purpose of your essay.
● The textual evidence you will use to explain your points
● Your analysis of each quote. Answer the questions for your reader: What does this
quote mean? Why is this quote significant? How does this quote prove/explain my
point?
DO NOT ASK ME HOW MANY BODY PARAGRAPHS YOU WILL NEED (that is up to you!)
REMEMBER: A paragraph should have ONE TOPIC OR POINT
Each paragraph should include the following:
1. Start your paragraph with a topic sentence.
Topic sentence = a sentence that explains what you are going to write about. It should have a subject, a
verb, and a controlling idea.
2. Add supporting sentences.
Supporting sentences = more information about your topic. One way to do this is to imagine your topic
sentence as a question and then ask yourself: How can I prove this is true? What examples can I give?
3. End with a concluding sentence
Conclusion = an ending sentence that explains what your paragraph is about and why it is significant to
your overall purpose in a sophisticated (and not redundant) way.
Tips for organization:
● Write about your character’s evolution chronologically according to events
(think beginning, middle, and end.)
● Decide what moments, quotes, decisions, actions, motivations, etc… are
absolutely necessary to the character's evolution and to achieve your purpose.
These will develop into your main points/body paragraphs.
Look at this example outline:
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Thesis/Superclaim/ Purpose: Mary Warren lets fear and selfishness control her and she loses her
sense of morality.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1 :
Subclaim/Point 1: Mary wants to tell the truth about dancing in the woods but is too scared of
Abby to speak up.
Evidence: “They’re talking of witchcraft in the town…”
Reasoning/Analysis:
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she wants to tell the truth and stick to her morals at this point and wants to save Betty and do
the moral Christian thing
Evidence: “Abby, we’ve got to tell. Witchery is a hanging error, [. . . ]You’ll only be whipped for
dancing” (18). Abigail tells her to shut it
Reasoning/Analysis:
● she shuts up and goes home
● She is afraid or intimidated by Abby
● She doesn’t do what’s right and just keeps her mouth shut. She goes along with all the
accusations in court because of this.
BODY PARAGRAPH 2:
Subclaim/Point 2: Mary is still scared of Abby, so much that she does not want to defend Goody
Proctor.
Evidence: the part where she won’t go to court (FH)
Analysis:
● Mary says that she does not want to betray Abigail because she fears the consequences.
● Fear is stopping her from doing the right thing: telling the truth and saving Goody Proctor
Evidence: Proctor threatens to whip her for refusing to go (FH)
Analysis:
● Mary ends up in the court showing she cannot stand up for herself
Subclaim/Point 3: Mary cracks under the pressure. She is scared of being accused so she lies and
turns on Proctor.
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Evidence: “Abby you must stop...”
Analysis:
● She is starting to panic
● She is unable to faint because she is so scared
Evidence: “you’re the Devil’s man” (111)
Analysis:
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Clearly, her selfishness and fear of the girls has caused her to turn on the Proctors even though
they are telling the truth
Write your outline for your body paragraphs on the next page:
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When you are done with your outline, complete this checklist:
❏ My outline includes my major points
❏ My outline includes my evidence and quotes
❏ My outline includes the explanation and analysis of each quote and connects to the point of each
paragraph and purpose of the essay
❏ I have found a way to incorporate my studies of Semantics into my character analysis
STOP!!! **once you have done this, see me for approval
(this step will be graded)
Step 3: Write your Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is the last sentence of your introduction. A thesis statement should
give an overview of what your essay will be about. It will state your topic and purpose,
blueprint your organized points, and connect to the general audience.
A thesis statement should include:
● Your Purpose: What are you arguing/proving/explaining?
● Your Blueprint: How will you explain/prove your purpose throughout the paper?
What are your main points? How is this essay organized?
● The SUPER SO WHAT: Why should we care? Why does this matter to a general
audience? Why should they read the text and your analysis of it?
Practice: Read the following thesis statements and label (a) the purpose, (b) the
blueprint and (c) the SO WHAT.
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1. In J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, Hermione’s innate intellectual abilities, moral compass, and
courage allow her to create a friendship with Harry and Ron and define the nature of a new kind of
heroism, one that calls into question the traditional cultural female stereotype.
2. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Amir and Baba’s relationship changes from unstable and distant
in Afghanistan to a close understanding and respect for one another after immigrating to America,
exposing the natural human progression and evolution of relationships.
3. Though the film “Beauty and the Beast” was intended for an audience of young children, the
enlightening love story depicts violence and cruelty through the treatment of the beast and the castle’s
attack scene which could have a negative impact on viewers.
4. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Mary Warren consistently lets her selfishness and fear control her and
lose her sense of morality evidently through her decision to keep quiet about dancing the woods, her
unwillingness to defend Goody Proctor, and her ultimate betrayal by accusing John Proctor, thus
revealing how others can easily corrupt people into making poor or immoral decisions.
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Now Write your own thesis statement for your paper:
STOP!!! **once you have done this, see me for approval
(this step will be graded)
Step 4: Plan your Introduction and Conclusion
An Introduction paragraph should include:
● Motivator (if applicable)
● Author and text you will be analyzing
● Context or background information on the text and topic (consider what is necessary for your
audience to understand your essay.) Don’t tell us the entire plot!
● Thesis statement
A Conclusion should include:
● A conclusive statement in which you wrap up the point of your essay in a sophisticated way.
● “Super So what?” - (Remember Gottschall’s purpose of storytelling: to affect our morals, values,
and beliefs. Stories teach us, reflect, or comment on human nature. Stories make us human)
○ what is soooooo important about this topic and this story?
○ How does the text, character, and purpose teach, reflect or comment on human nature?
○ Why should anyone read this story and your analysis of it?
○ How does this concept relate to all people?
○ “Drop the Mic” leave your audience with something to consider. Connect to them
personally and encourage them to continue thinking about this topic in other contexts.
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Step 5: Review - Paragraph Structure and Integrating Quotes
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Point- state the point of this paragraph in your topic sentence
○ Be sure to use a transitional phrase to help organize your essay and allow the reader to follow along.
(examples: In addition, Therefore, Next, After some time, Similarly, At this point, Consequently,
Particularly, However, In addition…)
○ Your topic sentence should be specific to this paragraph but also connect to your thesis. Ask yourself
“What is this paragraph going to be about and how does it contribute to achieving my overall
purpose?”
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Evidence- Provide your textual evidence to prove or explain this point
○ give the context for this quote (speaker, setting, scenario)
○ Integrate the quote properly. It cannot stand in a sentence alone. There are four ways to do this:
1. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon.
Example: Thoreau's philosophy might be summed up best by his repeated request for people to ignore the
insignificant details of life: "Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more
than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity,
simplicity!" (2).
2.
Use an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separated from the quotation with
a comma.
Example: Thoreau states directly his purpose for going into the woods when he says, "I went to the woods
because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it
had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived" (6).
3.
Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your own words and the
words you are quoting.
Example: Thoreau states directly his purpose for going into the woods when he says that "I went to the woods
because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it
had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (6).
4.
Use short quotations--only a few words--as part of your own sentence.
Example: Thoreau states that his retreat to the woods around Walden Pond was motivated by his desire "to live
deliberately" and to face only "the essential facts of life" (14).
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Analysis - explain the significance of the quote in regards to the point of this paragraph and
the overall purpose of your essay.
○ How might it relate to your thesis? Your reader should not have to interpret the quote and what it
means or how it helps to support the point you are trying to make. Never leave any room for
interpretation. It is your responsibility as the writer to interpret the quote for your reader and
provide the significance.
(repeat Evidence and Explanation if necessary) - you may have more than one piece
of evidence to prove the point of your paragraph
C
Concluding Statement-explain what your paragraph is about and why it is significant to your
overall purpose in a sophisticated (and not redundant) way.
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Step 6: Write your first draft DUE: Friday 12/23
Step 7: Practice and Focused Revisions Label the following in the provided paragraphs:
● Transitional phrase
● Topic sentence/point of the paragraph
● Context of the quote
● Textual evidence
● Explanation
● Concluding statement
● Semantics connection
Purpose of Essay: Mary Warren lets fear and selfishness control her and she loses her sense of
morality.
At this point, Mary Warren is so scared that she is incapable of making decisions for herself. She had
been following along with the girls in the accusations, but now that Goody Proctor has been accused, she is
being pressured by John Proctor to give a deposition and tell the truth to save his wife. She responds, “She’ll
kill me for sayin’ that [. . . ] I cannot, they’ll turn on me” (76). Here, Mary indicates that she does not want to
betray Abigail because she fears the consequences. She is predicting a negative outcome and although it is
likely to happen, this way of thinking is stopping her from doing the right thing: telling the truth and saving
Goody Proctor. Proctor then grabs her by the throat and tells her to “make her peace” (76). As the curtain falls,
Mary sobs crying “I cannot,” yet at the beginning of Act III, she appears in court with Proctor and the
deposition. Her fear of Proctor has clearly brought her to the judges. Yet again, Mary is not making decisions
on her own, but instead based on the fear of upsetting others.
During the trial, Mary’s fear ofupsetting the girls surpassees her fear of Proctor which leads to more
lying and harm towards others. Mary now has the chance to redeem herself morally and tell the truth to save
Goody Proctor’s life. She informs the judges that she is there to admit that the girls had been faking all along,
but as predicted, Abigail turns on her. She pretends to be under a spell and attack by Mary and the judges
believe her. Proctor diffuses this by confessing to adultery with Abigail. Wanting to avoid this accusation,
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Abigail continues acting as if Mary is bewitching her. The judges believe Abigail and Parris begs Mary to
confess so that they may save her. Mary panics and fears the consequences of the accusations. Eventually, Mary
points at Proctor and says “you’re the Devil’s man” (111). She decides to go along with the girls to turn the
blame to Proctor because it would save herself from being accused of witchcraft. Clearly, her selfishness and
fear of the girls has caused her to turn on the Proctors, even though they are telling the truth. It is here that Mary
shows no sense of compassion, remorse, or independence. She is clearly easily influenced, selfish, and values
her own life over anything else, including honesty and integrity.
Revise: Label the following in your paragraphs. If you are missing parts to each paragraph, make the
necessary revisions:
● Transitional phrase
● Topic sentence/point of the paragraph
● Context of the quote
● Textual evidence
● Explanation
● Concluding statement
● Semantics connection
Step 8: Final Checklist ❏
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My essay is written in MLA format: Times New Roman, Double spaced, 12 pt font
My essay has the proper MLA heading
My essay has a unique and inventive title
My essay has a page number and last name in the top right corner
My essay has a Work Cited page
My essay has in-text citations
My essay includes my evidence and quotes that are fully analyzed and explained
My quotes are integrated properly according to the provided rules
My essay has an introduction, thesis statement and conclusion